iridcsnt

[iridcsnt]

hawkxs‌:

Eren sensed her before he even saw her.  Dragons had a very distinct energy to them, if they didn’t conceal themselves.  He set his bag down, letting make a soft thud on the counter as his footsteps lifted across the tiled kitchen.  His lips tugged happily at her presence - at the very least, he was happy to know that she was well.  Though, he knew better than to doubt the woman.  “Mother Dragon,” he said as he walked to the refrigerator.  A small creak came out as he reached in for a cold bottle of beer.  Easily, he grabbed two and handed one over to Mae.  “I know,” he revealed as he opened his bottle.  In a gentle gesture, he mock toasted to her, “I know where they’re hidden.  Both of them are being held there, Mother.”

“You haven’t changed,” Mae said and let out a soft sigh.  Her lips turned upward into a smile, “At least, we can always count on you.”  She shook her head at the offer of the beer, “I’m not a beer sort of Dragon, Eren.”  Mae could drink, that had never been an issue;  human alcohol never seemed to have any effects on the Dragon.  It didn’t take long from their conversation’s tone to shift into the expected seriousness.  She nodded, “Yes, they are.  I’m just not sure where they are being held.  I can’t get a grip on their scent.”

#p. #eren #eren01

[iridcsnt]

@hawkxs “You know,” Mae said as she paced around Eren’s apartment.  Her fingers walked along the kitchen counter and stopped as she turned to face the first child she gave a second chance to.  “You could have come and said hello, Eren,” she looked up at him.  “But, I am happy to see that you’re doing well.  Would it kill you to drop and give your mother a visit?”  Though, with the recent chain of events, it was hard not to want to see her children as often as she could.  Mae cut down the causalities and looked at Eren, “I believe you already know what’s happening, better than any of us.  I need your help, Eren.”

#p. #eren #eren01

[iridcsnt]

Mae was relatively calm.  Dead bodies weren’t a new feature for the Dragon.  Though, as the detective came up to her and answered his phone, the Dragon realized how suspicious it made her.  She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to regain a sense of concern - there was concern, was there much?  No.  She looked over to him, mild impatience appeared in her eyes as he was on the phone.  When he flashed the badge, she looked at it and nodded.  “I don’t know the person,” Mae said calmly.  Her eyes flashed from the badge and over to where they started to zip the bag up.  “I came upon it by chance,” Mae explained.  Though, it was less by chance and more by scent.  The Dragon followed a scent trail that match the blood of one of her offspring.  Much to her surprise, and relief, the body was not of her kin but of someone that had been injected with their blood.  She looked up at the detective, “Are there any immediate suspects?”

“– Damnit woman!” Now she chooses to call, of all times, “Why is it that any time I’m actually doing something important you give me this bull sh– No, actually I’m at work…”  He turned to the person he had been speaking to, holding up a finger as if to say one second, “Oh, like you’re a saint! Tell your little boyfriend I say hello – Yeah, fuck you too.” Hanging up his cell with a roll of his eyes, “My god. Forgive me,” returning, “My beautiful wife.” He turned to examine the scene in front of him, the medical examiner buzzing around while the police tapped off the area, flashing his badge, “Detective Guédé. Can you tell me how you knew the deceased?” Said deceased person was currently in a coroner’s bag, soul nowhere to be found. Shit. It was going to be a long night.

#p. #saturday #saturday01

[iridcsnt]

1stdvls‌:

Sting had only met his father once but that was enough for the man to leave an impression on him - he was five years old when he watched his father perform magic so powerful, it took his life as payment.  Since then, he aimed to be as strong and powerful as his father was.  He looked at Mae and nodded, “Of course.  Family was his crowning and killing jewel.”

Sting closed his eyes as Mae spoke.  By closing off one of his senses, he could strengthen the others.  He took a deep breath.  He could smell his family - Mae, Ophelia, Felicity, Eren and the blood of the other smelled as though they were everywhere.  His brows furrowed, knitted in completely frustration as he he finally opened his eyes.  “I don’t like that,” he admitted, “I can’t pinpoint their scent.  Even worse is I can’t pick out their heartbeat.  Not with this mess.”

It wasn’t a lie to say that Sting loved his mother.  What child didn’t?  It pained him to see her worry, especially when his siblings were scattered like this.  He nodded, “He probably has more answers than we do.  Ever since he thawed out, Eren’s been difficult to chase down.”  He laughed and shook his head, “You’re always so soft on your problem children.”  Sting’s laughter quieted as he looked back over to the city.  He didn’t have a plan.  How could he?  He didn’t know what he was even up against.  “I don’t think Ceres Centropolis is prepared for what might be coming their way, mother.”

“Family is worth fighting and dying for,” Mae reminded Sting.  She turned her head, eyeing him with certainty.  The longer a person lived, the easier it was for them to forget the bonds that they had built.  Especially when it came to their families.  Her children still had much to learn about those values of life.  “You should learn from your father,” Mae said as she nodded to Sting, “He was a wise man.  Both in life and in death.”

She knew what he meant.  The Dragon could smell them, all of them and even she was having a hard time figuring out where they were.  It irritated her that someone found a way for her to lose track of her children.  Someone would burn for this.  She would make sure of that.  “There’s got to a be reason.  Neither of them have the ability to multiply and be everywhere,” Mae spoke with a grave tone.  She frowned, shaking her head as she took a breath.  “I don’t like this, Sting.  I don’t like it one bit.”

At the mention of Eren, Mae held a fond smile at the lost child who stepped into his role as a Prince.  Royalty was supposed to shield their people and Eren was a protector, albeit a silent one.  She shook her head and stared at Sting before she flatly said, “You’re my problem child.”  Sting was her first child and he had always been one of her biggest challenges.  Mae nodded in agreement, “I don’t think anyone is prepared but whatever headed to Ceres Centropolis, we’re going to make sure that we’ll give them a hard time.”

#p. #hasting #hasting01

[iridcsnt]

“Of course,” Mae said with a grin, “It’s M-A-E C-A-L-L-O-W-A-Y.  Make sure it’s spelled right.  I want S.H.O.T. to know who said they were sorry pieces of shit with small dick syndrome that hide behind the mask of government.”  The Dragon had never been the type to sugarcoat her anger.  Especially when S.H.O.T. was completely responsible for kidnapping two of her children.  A mother bears her fangs when her children were involved.  “Do you want another quote for those bastards?”

It wasn’t uncommon for Hawthorne to be around town, striking up conversations with anyone who didn’t mind and jotting down quotes when he could.  If he couldn’t sniff out a story, there was always chance for an opinion piece story.  His gaze had wandered from the person he had spoken to and over to the distance.  In a quiet blink, he returned his gaze back to the person in question.  He chuckled, “Can I quote you on that?  On you opinion about S.H.O.T.?  Or would it be better if I just write you down as an anonymous source?”

#p. #hawthorne #hawthorne01

[iridcsnt]

1stdvls‌:

“I learned it from father,” Sting said with a grin.  Unlike the rest of his siblings, Sting had known his father and according to his mother, he emulated too many similarities to him.  Especially when it came to personality and mannerisms.  Sting thought he was a good man.  “If father hadn’t died that many years ago, the world would have shifted in power,” Sting admitted.  While he loved his father, he knew the man had the unfortunate problem of being swayed by the persuasive words of others.  He frowned, there was a sadness in her eyes.  It lingered longer than Sting would have liked;  a woman like her was much stronger when it came to the aching that she had experienced, he would not have been able to handle it well.  He nodded at her admission, “Considering, there are six of us in the city now, the scents are getting difficult to sort through.”  He frowned as he closed his eyes and took a long breath.  Ultimately, Sting shook his head and frowned, “Like you said, their scent is everywhere but there’s no traces of them physically here.  I don’t like it, mother.”  

Sting took a sharp breath as he looked away from Mae.  His eyes scanned the city below them.  The Dragon’s cave had a good view of everything below them.  “I’ll check in with that guy,” Sting said nodded toward the city, “He’s been keeping a closer eyes on things than I could.”  He paused and than snapped his fingers, “Do something about your daughter who refuses to be your daughter.”

The Dragon sighed at her eldest's mention of his father.  Mae frowned, shaking her heat him and said, "If your father didn't sacrifice himself for our sake, the world would indeed be much more different, Hasting."  At that time, humans who held the power that Hasting's father did were hunted down and burned at the stake for crimes as simple as healing someone's ailment.  Although the world had gained a more tolerant perspective, Mae doubted that it had spread to all of society - as obviously depicted by S.H.O.T. agents hired by their own government to police them.  There was a war brewing Ceres Centropolis and while Mae wasn't certain when it would erupt, she would rather have her children present.  They could easily even the tides when the waves of destruction began.  She looked over at Hasting as she let out a reluctant sigh.  "It's as if they were being spread," Mae had a gruesome thought but refrained from sharing it.  The idea of her children being cut up and spread through the city was not something a mother enjoyed.  She nodded slowly until she settled to watch the city.  Her palms rest of the balcony as she leaned forward.

"I don't need to tell you that there's something going to happen, Hasting, but be careful," Mae said, then laughed, "A mother does worry.  Even if her son is as big as mountain."  She gave him a look.  Mae knew who Hasting spoke of.  It was why she always felt at ease in Ceres Centropolis.  "He'll offer to help.  Silently, as he always does," Mae replied.  At the mention of her daughter, Mae sighed as a forlorn smile came upon her.  "Felicity has her reasons, Hasting, as we all do."  The Dragon had twelve children and each child required a different touch of motherhood.  Never did she expect to have this many children, but she was never one to deny anyone a chance when things looked dire.  Mae shifted her stance, and turned away from the city.  She leaned back, resting against the banister of the balcony.  "We need to work on fixing the issue, Hasting.  I trust you have some sort of plan?"

#p. #hasting #hasting01

[iridcsnt]

ofvexation‌:

“You’re making a dig at me and it’s supposed to hurt, but I just don’t feel anything.” She gave a light shrug and looked away from Mae. “I had no clue because they were speaking the way chicken scratch would sound, so I didn’t translate much of a lesson. I couldn’t get over how bad they sounded and how boring that place was… and I was just concerned about getting back to my girlfriend.” 

“You don’t trust that they could have.” When Mae spoke in this way, she felt a little bad. Even though they butted heads often, she wasn’t always as dense as she seemed. She could see the ways that Mae cared, but if she let her keep going, any attachments would get stronger and she was trying to avoid that. “I don’t want to owe you anything.” She told her honestly. “Owing a dragon a favor is tough shit.” 

“Take it as you will,” Mae stated, “I’m simply stating the truth.  Of all the Sins that could have ever reared their heads in Ceres Centropolis, Pride is the most annoying.”  There were beings in the city that were older than Mae.  The dragon had never been foolish enough to believe that she was the most powerful creature that roamed the streets - a mother always raises her children to be stronger than her, even if a majority of her children proved to be stubborn and ridiculous.  Mae looked over at Felicity and smiled, “At least, there is one person you’ve never shied away from.  You honestly should start telling the truth to her.”

Mae looked at Felicity and shrugged as she slowly shook her head.  “You’ve always been on the skeptical side toward everything,” Mae said as she rolled her eyes, “Fine.  Don’t ask me for help.”  Each of her children required different attention and different actions - Mae, surprisingly, knew each one very, very well despite what they thought.

#p. #felicity #felicity02

[iridcsnt]

1stdvls‌:

Sting smelled her before she arrived - Dragons had such a distinct scent to them that the moment Sting smelled her, it stung.  He turned around to face her and forced his eyes to narrow, mimicking a glare as she spoke.  He didn’t say anything, no reply to her insult.  Instead, he walked right over to her and reached out to pet the top of her head.  He sighed and then grinned, “Hey, old woman, it’s like you’ve gotten much shorter.  Gravity must be taking its revenge for the shit you’ve done.”  Sting expected to get punched or have a spell cast on him.  The mother dragon had never been someone who took teasing very calmly.  He stepped back, away from her before he responded to her words.  “Yes,” he nodded at her slowly and frowned as he said, “I can smell them.  They’re here.  They’ve been on the move since I arrived, so I can’t pinpoint them by scent.”

“It never fails to amaze me,” Mae said, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.  She tilted her head from the left to the right as she set her hands on her hips.  “You may have mastered the craft of spell work that people could never attempt, but you’ve yet to master the art of respect and manners,” Mae shook her head, then dramatically covered her mouth with her hand, feigning a false appearance of crying as she did.  “If only your father hadn’t died thousands of years ago.”  She teased, but Sting’s father had died at the hands of some of Mae’s worst enemies - forever will she be grateful to the man,.  She smacked his hand away, “Don’t.”  Her eyes turned icy as she glared at him.  Mae stepped back - her glare maintained as she did.  “They are,” Mae said, “I could feel their energy the moment the arrived.  Their scent is scattered ...it’s as if they’re everywhere but nowhere at the same time.”  The Dragon frowned, “I don’t like how this bodes, Sting.  It’s not going to end well.”

#p. #hasting #hasting01

[iridcsnt]

“You would be lost,” Mae said as she stepped in front of the pathway.  The short cape moved as she placed her hands on her hips and shook her head, “You would think that after all of these years you’ve wandered the Earth, you would be able to navigate your way through things, Sting.  Considering, this isn’t the first time that you’ve been to Ceres Centropolis.”  All of the Children of Calloway knew the city and its location;  some visited, some avoided and very few stayed here, regardless of the fact that Mae’s cave was near the city.  She relaxed her stance, then folded her arms over her chest as she sighed, “I’m glad you made it though.  We have further things to discuss.  Family business, after all.”  // @1stdvls

#p. #hasting #hasting01

[iridcsnt]

Mae stared at Micah and sighed.  She shook her head, letting the smile break out as she added in the eye roll.  “They are quite ugly,” Mae admitted.  The Dragon had seen many forms of armor and uniform from some of the most awful, vile armies that roamed the streets for conquest and domination but she had to agree with Micah.  She looked over at her and said, “Lesser things have been said that cause those agents to go after people, but ...,” Mae squinted her eyes, narrowing at Micah and said, “Did something happen?  Your energy is different than the last time I met you, Micah.”

“Have you ever, like,” Micah started as she placed her hand over her chest.  Then moved her hand off her heart as she spoke, “Just, like, been so annoyed at how some of the uniforms people wears are so ugly?  Like,” she rolled her eyes, “Back off SHOT, we can spot you a mile away with that hot mess of an ugly armor over there.”  It was probably bad to randomly talk shit about SHOT and those affiliated with them, but Micah easily forgot what common sense was at times.  Usually, on purpose.

#p. #micah #micah01

[iridcsnt]

secondsign‌:

“Ophelia knows and is happy to be part of it,” Ophelia said, beaming at the Dragon.  Mae was the kindness that Ophelia had been missing in her life;  to have the Dragon be a constant maternal figure was something the Child of Rain could never tire of.  "Ophelia is happy,“ she decided as she walked along with her adoptive-mother.  Since Mae adopted her into the family, the bleak outlook on life had transformed.  One act of kindness had always been able to change so much.  

"Ophelia would never want to harm anyone.  Especially when they’re innocent,” she exclaimed.  The Water Woman never wanted to fall back into the embarrassing state she had been in before.  The curse of the rain that surrounded her was something she hated before but over the years, Mae’s teachings had taught her this wasn’t a curse but a blessing.  With the right training, her abilities were no longer the victim of her emotional outbursts.  "Oh,“ she felt the blush grow in her cheeks when Mae said that last sentence.  Her eyes blurred as she tears of happiness started to form.  "Oh, mama, Ophelia is so happy.  she will continue to do her best to make you proud.”

Children always gave people a chance to be better than their current selves.  Mae had learned this early on.  The Dragon had many children - some born from her and others abandoned by those that could not appreciate them and their quirks.  She cast a look at Ophelia and nodded, "We should keep your happiness, Ophelia.  We can keep making it stronger.  There's nothing more powerful than happiness in the bleakness of our world."  The only think that can fight the darkness is the light that people have within themselves.

"Of course, you're getting stronger every day," Mae said as she guided their direction toward her fledgling gallery.  It was unfinished, but being worked on daily until it reaches the level of standard Mae had.  It was a ways away from them, so their conversation could carry on.  "Ophelia, you do make me proud.  That's not something that will ever change," Mae smiled.  She turned her gaze in front of them as they walked on.  "Your brother has arrived, I expect the city to feel it soon," she admitted.  Her eldest was always the strangest that even she had a difficult time dealing with his actions.  "I trust you'll be able to help keep things under control?"

#p. #ophelia #ophelia01

[iridcsnt]

addie-leroux‌:

There was an aged metallic color that seemed to be under the surface of all the other colors that were coloring the woman in front of her. The most prevalent now was a dark blue that was strong. She was confident beyond what she had seen on any human (or metahuman, for that matter) and Addie caught herself wondering if the woman in front of her was even a human at all. “I’ll owe you my life savings if you do.” A joke, obviously, but her smile was genuine. “And yes, no sleep, extra hours at work, everything in between. What about you?”

At her own suggestion, Mae got up to go to get an entire pot of coffee for their table.  “Careful,” she said as she set the coffee pot down on the center, “It’s still hot but help yourself to it.”  It seemed that the rest of the city was feeling the effects of the growing tensions;  she knew this was something that would happen - the chain reaction in Ceres Centropolis had started.  She sighed as she leaned back into her seat.  “Hmmm, I can’t say sleep is an issue,” the dragon said with a casual shrug.  “I’m waiting ...,” she paused, “For some very important arrivals into the city.  I’m an art collector, so I worry about things that I collect not being here on time.”

#p. #addie #addie01

[iridcsnt]

addie-leroux‌:

Addie shifted and sat up straighter as the woman offered to entirely pay for a fresh cup of coffee for her. She pushed her seat back slightly and watched as the woman ran over things, focus radiating off of her. It was impressive, really, the amount of focus she was putting into whatever it was that was happening on her phone, and it was important, too. “Oh, well, I…” she glanced down to her one empty mug but then thought back to the 2 others from that morning that were empty in her sink. “Well, this is three for me, about to be four…” She looked toward the other woman and nodded, “I see it’s much more for you, though, so at least I’ve got that going for me?”

“Four is a lucky number,” Mae said as she lifted her eyes from the phone and over to the woman.  The dragon-woman gave her a smile and said, “I’ve lost count of how many I’ve had.”  She let out a soft laugh, “I should have just ordered the entire pitcher.”  Caffeine was one of mankind’s creations that Mae wished had been invented earlier in Earth’s time-line.  It was a panacea that even she couldn’t deny for herself.  “You know what,” Mae said as she looked over to her now empty coffee cup, “How about I do us both a favor and order us both coffee?”  The dragon knew why she needed it but she was curious as to why this woman did.  “No sleep?” she asked, nodding at the empty mug.

#p. #addie #addie01

[iridcsnt]

secondsign‌:

“Ophelia is always on time,” she said with a bright smile.  When Mae linked arms with her, Ophelia’s smile broadened even more.  The dragon never aged and despite Mae being the one to have raised her since she was abandoned, Ophelia relished in the fact that they looked like sisters.  “Ophelia remembers that story and is very saddened about it, but this is why love is going to grow for you even more.  The universe always returns what is lost to where they belong.”  Her smile shifted as she pressed her lips together, humming in remembrance of what had transpired prior to her arrival.  “They didn’t want to negotiate,” Ophelia announced.  She bit the side of her cheek and nodded as she solemnly said, “Ophelia had to take drastic measures and drown their city.  Don’t worry.  Everyone miraculously survived.  Rumor has it,” she winked, “It was an act of love.”

“Of course, punctuality is an important trait to have,” Mae smiled at the youngest of twelve.  She didn’t need to worry about the traits this girl had;  Ophelia was a bright light in the darkness and Mae had been lucky enough to have her be part of her family.  Family has always been important, even when time seemed to tear them all apart.  The dragon returned the smile given to her, “Love isn’t just romance.  Right now, with you and your siblings, I’ve got enough love to fill that space.”  The life of a dragon was long - she had loved and lost so much through the years and yet, there were always reasons to keep going.  The new generation of powerful beings were enough to encourage Mae to keep going, to pas on her knowledge and her teachings. 

“Ah, of course,” Mae responded to Ophelia’s story about the latest endeavor.  “You’ve improved your control,” Mae praised her youngest adopted daughter.  The first time they met, Ophelia couldn’t even stop the rain that followed her and now, she could flood a city and have no one harmed.  The control of her magic had expanded in such a short amount of time.  “I’m proud of you.”

#p. #ophelia #ophelia01

[iridcsnt]

ofvexation‌:

She had be caught. Mae was right about this; Felicity wouldn’t have contacted her or any one affiliated with Mae. It was a matter of stubborn pride. She never liked to admit that things were precious to her or that she’d need help from family. These things were difficult for her to do. “Ok, fine, you got me. If it was up to me, I wouldn’t have said anything. I figured that thing would have left on its own eventually, just like last time.” She crossed her arms defiantly. “I’m not going to to do anything like that and waste people’s time. If it was really a problem then they’d probably stop me.” She shrugged. To be fair, she hadn’t really told people and if they knew it was because they ran into the deity. “Gray probably would have had his wife kick my ass or something, but it didn’t happen so it’s fine.” She threw her hands into the air and started to walk away from Mae. “I’m sure you do. You always do. I was just thinking of putting my ear to the ground and lookin’ for an answer… I know you got your art gallery in the works and the younger ones hovering around.”

“Pride is an annoying Sin,” Mae said, meaning that in more ways than one.  There were Sins in that city that needed to be dealt with.  Unfortunately, those that she adopted into her family never seemed to get over that pride.  She shrugged, “You realize that being was a god from another dimension hell-bent on correcting our world to match their own?”  Though, she couldn’t expect Felicity to reason to truths like that;  Mae never could get that woman over her intense stubbornness.  The dragon shrugged, her lips pressed together into a frown as she slowly shook her head.  “If they could have done that, I’m sure they would have,” Mae said but left it at that as she looked over to the woman.  There was so much potential in Felicity, it was unfortunate that she never seemed to want to reach for it.  “You know, when it comes to magic, all you have to do is ask,” Mae said with a sharp tone.  The dragon’s knowledge of magic could date further back than most people, only second to those who have been around since the creation of time. 

#p. #felicity #felicity02

[iridcsnt]

There was a sea of empty coffee cups in front of her.  The dragon, ancient as she was, had never been good at keep track of time.  Especially when she was in the middle of dealing with her adopted children.  She sighed and blinked herself into focus as she heard someone speak to her.  “Oh-ho?” Mae looked over to the woman, “Of coffee?  Sure, that’s not a problem.  Just order and tell the ladies in the front to charge to Mae Calloway.”  Mae’s eyes returned to the phone in front of her as she received yet another message.  That was rude.  Mae stopped looking at her phone and over to the woman, “How many cups of coffee have you had?”

The city was remarkable quiet for a Saturday afternoon, at least, emotionally. Not one was screaming angst or melancholy or rage. For now, anyway. Addie had found herself a table outside the coffee shop closest to The River Styx. People darted in and out of the shop, hands full of hot drinks and cute pastries. She had a closing shift at the shop tonight but that was hours off. She had at least another 2 solid mugs of tea before she had to even think about packing her things up. But her first mug of tea, full of caffeine, was nearly empty. “Damn…” she muttered, lowering her mug back to the table. “Empty.” She glanced up, “any chance I could convince you to let me have that nice cup of whatever it is that you have?” She was joking…for the most part.

#p. #addie #addie01

[iridcsnt]

When Mae called for all of her adopted children to arrive in Ceres Centropolis, the dragon knew that the first to arrive would be Ophelia Mustafi.  The child of water had always been dependably punctual as far as Mae was concerned.  Though, she was greatly pleased that a rainstorm hadn’t appeared when she arrived.  Mae’s arms rested across her chest, folded as she rose an eyebrow at Ophelia and with a sigh, “Yes.  Once.  It bore three, loss two and survived one.”  Which was why Mae was desperate to call her children into the city so quickly.  “Welcome to Ceres Centropolis, my darling,” Mae said as she walked over to Ophelia, linking her arm with hers and directing her to the cave she called a home.  “Please tell me, darling,” Mae looked over to her, “The trip wasn’t too difficult for you, was it?  I know you were overseas in the middle of negotiations for an artifact.”

Drip, drip, drop - Ophelia’s mind chanted the words as she walked along the sidewalk of Ceres Centropolis.  The Water Witch’s arrival to the city wasn’t unexpected - the woman she considered her mother had requested for presence, as well as the rest of her ‘siblings’ (by legal documentation, not by blood as far as she was concerned) - but it was exciting to finally set foot in Ceres Centropolis.  Despite the current state of affairs in the city, Ophelia’s excitement couldn’t be contained.  As she stepped along the sidewalk, the woman stopped and spun around, squealing in excitement before she turned to face whoever was beside her.  Ophelia smiled at them and asked, “Have you ever been in love?”

#p. #ophelia #ophelia01